Community Projects Get Their Funding At The Joining In! Jamboree

Published on: 30 Sep, 2013
Updated on: 30 Sep, 2013

Eight community projects in Guildford’s Westborough ward shared funding to the tune of £109,850 courtesy of Travel SMART at Saturday’s Joining In! Jamboree held at the Park Barn Centre.

We’ve done it! Jubilant pupils from Guildford Grove School that came out tops in the voting and received the money that they had bid for.

Residents from across the ward, that covers Westborough, Park Barn, and parts of Stoughton, Shepherds Hill and Rydes Hill, packed the centre and enjoyed a feast of free fun activities.

A car boot sale in front of the centre with free pitches for sellers kicked off a day of events. Also outside were free activities for children including a bouncy castle, fun and games with Surrey Wildlife Trust and a chance to dress up in special sumo suits and have a go at wrestling.

Fun on the bouncy castle.

Inside, a number of local groups and organisations had stands offering information with others selling crafts. There was also face painting for children and a miniature roadway for the very young, while students from Kings College provided musical entertainment.

Food at the barbecue went down well.

There was a barbecue, plus some tasty Nepalese food, a free draw with prizes donated by local shops and businesses with some donated from further afield. Among the prizes were family passes to Spectrum, Sunday lunch at the Legacy Thatcher’s Hotel at East Horsley, a trip on a river boat from the National Trust’s Dapdune Wharf, a free bike from the Guildford Bike Project, and a voucher for the FISH play scheme next Easter.

The Park Barn and Westborough Community Association also took the opportunity to use the day for its annual meeting.

Organised jointly by the Joining In! project, that supports community involvement in Westborough and Park Barn, and Surrey County Council’s Travel SMART initiative, the afternoon featured the presentation of the 2013 Joining In! Volunteer Awards.

Joining In! project co-ordinator David Rose.

Joining In! project co-ordinator David Rose said: “There are many wonderful people here who give their time freely volunteering in the community in a number of ways and at places such as the Park Barn Day Centre and the Barn Youth Cafe.

“Our awards, who were judged by staff at Voluntary Action South West Surrey, recognise the work these volunteers do. I hope that these people can be an inspiration to even more people to get involved and join in the many things going on in this part of Guildford.”

The winners in each category received a £25 gift voucher, runners-up a £10 gift voucher, everyone, including all those who were highly commended, received a certificate and a Joining In! coffee mug.

Ron Bennett received his volunteer award from Carol Dunnett of Voluntary Action South West Surrey.

The results were: Long-standing volunteer award: Winner: Janet Springer. Joint runners-up: Ron Bennett, Shirley West. Highly commended: Raineee Wornham, Gordon Paterson, Wayne McShane, Brian Holt, Zena Crane, Rosemary Taylor, Sue Gatfield.

New volunteer: Winner: Elizabeth Harrison. Runner-up: Gillian James. Highly commended: Sian Jefferys

Young volunteer: Winner: Charlotte North. Runner-up: Beth Eton-Warne.

The afternoon saw the all-important public voting for the funds being made available by Travel SMART for community projects. Groups shortlisted for the grants had stands explaining their projects and each then made a short presentation at the event. The voting, using special digital handsets, then took place. And once all the votes were were calculated on a laptop computer they were announced.

Although some groups received more votes than others, all of them secured enough votes to ensure they get the money they were bidding for.

Chris Stanton from the Guildford Job Club with Becky Willson of Travel SMART.

Groups and organisation who applied and were successful in receiving funding:

The Parks and Leisure service at Guildford Borough Council, Westborough Woods improvements, £15,000
GBC will now use Travel SMART funding to landscape and improve Westborough Woods, which it hopes will encourage local residents to use the space. Forming part of the Westborough fitness trail, it will include an elevated path which will enable the woods to be used as a thoroughfare in all weather.

Guildford Job Club, coaches/facilitators, £15,000
The Job Club provides basic job search support services in Westborough. It will develop the personal one-to-one support it can offer by providing a further two coaches/facilitators.

Guildford Grove Primary School, free Bikeability training and equipment, £15,000
Guildford Grove will make Bikeability cycle training accessible to all of its pupils by offering it for free. It will also build a secure cycle shelter to enable pupils to cycle to school.

Kings College, cycling project, £15,000
Kings College will use its funding to implement a range of innovative ideas which will encourage greener and healthier ways to travel to school, including training on pool bikes, safe cycle/scooter facilities and incentives like free helmets or locks via a ‘school miles’ scheme.

Barn Youth Project, CV and interview sessions, £15,000
The Barn Youth Project engages with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in the community by building supporting relationships with them and offering opportunities and activities. Funding will be used to provide fun CV writing and interview skills workshops.

EmployAbility/Guildford Bike Project, supported volunteering opportunities, £9,350
EmployAbility is a supported employment service which finds work opportunities for disabled people. This project will work in partnership with the Guildford Bike Project to provide a structured and supported route into work for up to eight disabled people in Westborough ward.

Park Barn and Westborough Community Association, green space work, £10,500
This group will now be able to develop the green space at the entrance to Stoughton Recreation Ground so residents feel safe to pass through and take ownership of it. The project will also offer training to a local youth group which will assist in the work.

Voluntary Action South West Surrey, Welcome to Volunteering, £15,000
The Welcome to Volunteering project provides tailored support to the vulnerable and hard-to-access unemployed to help them develop skills and confidence to move them closer to employment.  Funding will provide a worker for one day a week in Westborough.

David Rose added: “All in all it was a fabulous day that was full of community spirit. I’d like to thank everyone who came along and visited and all those who helped out. Really too many to mention, but I must thank community safety wardens Tracy James and Richard Musgrove; they made it all happen and supported me so much in all the planning and arranging. My management team at Voluntary Action South West Surrey must also be thanked for their help and advice, as well as Becky Willson and her team from Travel SMART and the Travel SMART panel that is made up of local people.”

More pictures from the day:

The Barn Youth Project received £15,000.

Brian Holt and Raineee Wornham from green space work, part of the Park Barn and Westborugh Community Association.

Guildford Borough Council had a stand giving information on its new Local Plan.

Face painting courtesy of the Barn Youth Project was popular.

Waiting for the voting to commence.

Guildford West county councillor Fiona White, and a member of the Travel SMART local panel, introduced the groups who were bidding for funds.

Nigel Smallbone of Welcome to Volunteering, makes his bid.

Business manager Susan Down and head of PE Chris Boyle from Kings College.

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